Amid headlines about record inflation, critics of clean energy policy have tried to blame it for the higher heating bills and the general surge in prices–they even use the term “greenflation.” But climate-friendly policy is not the cause of the high prices. The world was already grappling with pandemic-related supply…...
CUB Q&A: Illinois American Water’s rate-hike request
What happened? In February, Illinois American Water filed for a $87.4 million increase in rates before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). How much will this cost customers? The rate hike includes a $65.7 million, or 27 percent, increase in water service rates and a $21.7 million, or 59 percent, increase in…...
UN report: Climate disasters are likely to get worse–we must act now
With increasingly cold winters and hotter summers, Illinois consumers face the prospect of higher and higher gas and electric bills. It’s likely to get worse, according to the latest climate report by the United Nations, but we still have time to act. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…...
Marking a year of skyrocketing gas prices: CUB urges consumers to separate myth from fact
As Illinois utility customers enter their twelfth straight month of high heating prices, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) issued a consumer alert to warn natural gas customers about pervasive myths that could ultimately hurt their bottom lines. (Watch CUB’s video on three actions you can take to fight high gas…...
CUB Report: Comprehensive State-By-State Rankings on Utility Performance Cast Doubt on Claims that Fossil Fuels Lower Power Bills
While officials in the fossil fuel industry have long insisted that investments in coal and natural gas are necessary to keep electricity bills low and the lights on, a consumer watchdog group says that its first-ever analysis of state-by-state energy data casts doubt on those claims. In fact, Electric Utility…...
Crain’s Chicago Business: City of Chicago, Illinois AG call for far higher ComEd bribery rebate
The Illinois attorney general’s office and the city of Chicago yesterday urged the Illinois Commerce Commission to more than double the refund Commonwealth Edison should make to ratepayers over its admitted bribery scheme. In testimony filed with the ICC, the state’s chief consumer advocate, the city and the Citizens Utility…...
